Internal combustion engine system with hydrogen generation capability

ABSTRACT

A dehydrogenated fuel tank  32  which is replenished with an organic hydride-contained hydrogenated fuel and a gasoline tank  48  which is replenished with normal gasoline are provided. In order to separate the hydrogenated fuel into a hydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenation product, a dehydrogenation reactor  22  and a separator  40  are provided. The hydrogen rich gas flows into a hydrogen pipe  44  and is supplied into the intake pipe  12 . A dehydrogenation product pipe  42  is provided with a flow separator  46 . The dehydrogenation product is guided into the gasoline tank  48  until the mixed ratio of the dehydrogenation product reaches the maximum allowable ratio in the gasoline tank  48 . Only if the ratio reaches the maximum allowable ratio, the dehydrogenation product is collected into a dehydrogenation product tank  50.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine systemwith a hydrogen generation capability. In particular, the inventionrelates to a hydrogen generation capability-equipped internal combustionengine system which is run by using both hydrogenated fuel and normalgasoline.

BACKGROUND ART

As disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-343360,internal combustion engine systems provided with hydrogen generationcapability are known. Specifically, the system includes a mechanism togenerate a hydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenation products such asnaphthalene from a hydrogenated fuel containing organic hydrides such asDecalin as well as a hydrogen engine which runs using the generatedhydrogen rich gas as fuel.

In the system disclosed in the above-mentioned publication, while thehydrogen engine is operating, the hydrogenated fuel is separated into ahydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenation products by utilizing the heatgenerated by the operation. Then, only the hydrogen rich gas isextracted and used as fuel. The remaining dehydrogenation products arecollected into a recovery tank. The recovery tank has a discharge pipethrough which the dehydrogenation products can be discharged to theoutside.

As described above, this prior art system can generate by itselfhydrogen for use as fuel. It is therefore possible to realize ahydrogen-fueled system without having to install a high pressurehydrogen tank or the like.

Including the above-mentioned document, the applicant is aware of thefollowing documents as a related art of the present invention.

[Patent Document 1]

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-343360

[Patent Document 2]

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-255503

[Patent Document 3]

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-63128

By the way, for an internal combustion engine to output large power, itis effective to supply both gasoline and hydrogen to the internalcombustion engine. This function can be implemented by, for example,applying the above-mentioned prior art system to a gasoline-fueledordinary internal combustion engine.

In the above-mentioned prior art system, however, dehydrogenationproducts which are by-products of generating hydrogen rich gas aredischarged for disposal. Thus, if the system is simply applied to anordinary internal combustion engine, dehydrogenation products will haveto be discharged frequently, requiring the user to do troublesomemaintenance/management operations.

DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentionedproblem. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hydrogengeneration capability-equipped internal combustion engine which can useboth hydrogen rich gas and normal gasoline as fuel without requiringtroublesome maintenance/management operations.

The above object is achieved by a first aspect of the present invention.The first aspect of the present invention relates to an internalcombustion engine system with a capability to generate hydrogen. Thesystem includes a hydrogenated fuel tank which is replenished with anorganic hydride-contained hydrogenated fuel. The system also includes agasoline tank which is replenished with a normal gasoline. A fuelseparating unit is provided for separating the hydrogenated fuel into ahydrogen rich gas and a dehydrogenation product. A hydrogen rich gasconsuming mechanism is provided for consuming the hydrogen rich gas. Adehydrogenation product mixing unit is provided for mixing thedehydrogenation product with the normal gasoline. Further, the systemincludes a fuel supplying unit by which a mixed fuel composed of thenormal gasoline and the dehydrogenation product is supplied to aninternal combustion engine.

The above object of the present invention is also achieved by a secondaspect of the present invention. The second aspect of the presentinvention relates to the internal combustion engine system according tothe first aspect. In this aspect, the dehydrogenation product mixingunit includes a dehydrogenation product guiding mechanism for guidingthe dehydrogenation product into the gasoline tank, a mixed ratiodetecting unit for detecting the mixed ratio of the dehydrogenationproduct in the gasoline tank, and a dehydrogenation product stoppingunit for prohibiting the dehydrogenation product from flowing into thegasoline tank if the mixed ratio exceeds the maximum allowable mixedratio.

The above object of the present invention is further achieved by a thirdaspect of the present invention. The third aspect of the presentinvention relates to the internal combustion engine system according tothe second aspect of the present invention. In this aspect, adehydrogenation product tank is further provided to pool thedehydrogenation product. The dehydrogenation product guiding unitincludes a flow separator capable of implementing a first state in whichthe dehydrogenation product is guided into the gasoline tank and asecond state in which the dehydrogenation product is guided into thedehydrogenation product tank. The dehydrogenation product stopping unitincludes flow separator control unit which sets the flow separator tothe second state if the mixed ratio exceeds the maximum allowable mixedratio. The system further includes an alarming unit which if the amountof the dehydrogenation product pooled in the dehydrogenation producttank reaches the maximum allowable amount, issues an alarm about thecondition.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, it is possible togenerate a hydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenation product by separating ahydrogenated fuel. While the hydrogen rich gas is consumed, thedehydrogenation product can be mixed into a normal gasoline and suppliedto the internal combustion engine as part of the mixed fuel. It istherefore possible to reduce the frequency of discharging thedehydrogenation product.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, it is possible toprohibit the dehydrogenation product from flowing into a gasoline tankif the mixed ratio of the dehydrogenation product in the gasoline tankexceeds the maximum allowable mixed ratio. If the mixed ratio of thedehydrogenation product rises excessively, the mixed fuel deterioratesin combustibility, making it impossible for the internal combustionengine to stably run. The present invention can prevent such a situationfrom occurring.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, it is possible toguide the dehydrogenation product into a dehydrogenation product tank ifthe mixed ratio of the dehydrogenation product exceeds the maximumallowable mixed ratio. Thus, it is possible to continue generatinghydrogen rich gas without excessively raising the mixed ratio of thedehydrogenation produce in the mixed fuel. Further, in case the amountof the dehydrogenation product pooled in the tank reaches the maximumallowable amount, it is possible to issue an alarm to urge its disposal(discharge).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of a systemaccording to a first embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a routine which is executed in the firstembodiment of the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION First Embodiment Configurationof First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is provided to explain the configuration of an internalcombustion engine system according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention. This system has an internal combustion engine 10. An intakepipe 12 and an exhaust pipe 14 are communicated with the internalcombustion engine 10.

The intake pipe 12 is provided with a throttle valve 16 to control theamount of air to be suctioned. Downstream of the throttle vale 16, ahydrogen injector 18 is disposed. In addition, a gasoline injector 20 isdisposed at the intake port of the internal combustion engine 10.

The hydrogen injector 18, as described later, is supplied with hydrogenrich gas at a certain pressure. Receiving a drive signal from theoutside, the hydrogen injector 18 opens the valve to inject hydrogenrich gas into the intake pipe 12. The amount of hydrogen rich gas to beinjected is in accordance with the valve opening duration. Although thehydrogen injector 18 is disposed at the intake pipe 12 in the system ofFIG. 1, the configuration is not limited to this arrangement.Specifically, the hydrogen injector 18 may also be mounted on the mainbody of the internal combustion engine so as to inject hydrogen into thecylinder.

The gasoline injector 20, as described later, is supplied with gasoline(strictly, mixed fuel) at a certain pressure. Receiving a drive signalfrom the outside, the gasoline injector 20 opens its valve to injectgasoline into the intake port 12. The amount of gasoline to be injectedis in accordance with the valve opening duration.

A dehydrogenation reactor 22 is attached to the exhaust pipe 14. Inaddition, a hydrogenated fuel injector 24 is mounted to the top of thedehydrogenation reactor 22. The hydrogenated fuel injector 24, asdescribed later, is supplied with organic hydride-contained hydrogenatedfuel at a certain pressure.

Here, “organic hydrides” mean Decalin, cyclohexane and other hydrocarboncomponents which show dehydrogenation at temperatures around 300° C.Further, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that a fuel whichcontains only methylcyclohexane C₇H₁₄, that is, a fuel which issubstantially 100% composed of methylcyclohexane is used as“hydrogenated fuel” in this embodiment.

Receiving a drive signal from the outside, the hydrogenated fuelinjector 24 opens its valve to inject hydrogenated fuel into thedehydrogenation reactor 22. The amount of hydrogenated fuel to beinjected is in accordance with the valve opening duration. Thedehydrogenation reactor 22 can separate the thus supplied hydrogenatedfuel into a hydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenation product by utilizingthe heat emitted from the exhaust pipe 14, and sending them out from thebottom.

In this embodiment, as mentioned above, hydrogenated fuel is composed100% of methylcyclohexane C₇H₁₄. Methylcyclohexane C₇H₁₄ is separatedinto hydrogen H₂ and toluene C₇H₈ through a dehydrogenation reaction asbelow:C₇H₁₄→C₇H₈+3H₂  (1)

Thus, in this embodiment, if hydrogenated fuel is injected from thehydrogenated fuel injector 24, hydrogen rich gas and toluene C₇H₈ aresent out from the bottom of the dehydrogenation reactor 22.

An O₂ sensor 26 and a NOx sensor 28 are mounted in the exhaust pipe 14downstream of the dehydrogenation reactor 22. Based on the amount ofoxygen in the exhaust gas, the O₂ sensor 26 provides an output whichrepresents the exhaust air-fuel ratio. In addition, the NOx sensor 28provides an output which represents the NOx concentration in the exhaustgas. A catalyst 30 is disposed downstream of these sensors 26 and 28 topurify the exhaust gas.

The system of the present embodiment includes a hydrogenated fuel tank32. The hydrogenated fuel tank 32 is a tank which should be refueledwith hydrogenated fuel and pools the hydrogenated fuel. In other words,the system of the present embodiment requires filling the hydrogenatedfuel tank 32 with the above-mentioned hydrogenated fuel, namely, 100%methylcyclohexane.

A hydrogenated fuel supply pipe 34 is connected with the hydrogenatedfuel tank 32. The hydrogenated fuel supply pipe 34 is provided with apump 36 halfway in its route and communicated with the hydrogenated fuelinjector 24 at its end. During operation of the internal combustionengine, hydrogenated fuel is pumped up from the hydrogenated fuel tank32 and supplied to the hydrogenated fuel injector 24 at a certainpressure.

As mentioned above, receiving a drive signal from the outside, thehydrogenated fuel injector 24 can inject hydrogenated fuel into thedehydrogenation reactor 22 from its top. The dehydrogenation reactor 22,as mentioned above, separates the hydrogenated fuel into a hydrogen richgas and a dehydrogenation product, namely, hydrogen rich gas and tolueneC₇H₈.

The bottom of the dehydrogenation reactor 22 communicates with aseparator 40 via a pipe 38. The separator 40 has the capability toseparate the high temperature hydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenationproduct (toluene) supplied from the dehydrogenation reactor 22 bycooling them. In the bottom of the separator 40, there is a liquidreservoir space to pool the cooled and thereby liquefied dehydrogenationproduct therein. Above this reservoir space, there is a vapor reservoirspace to pool the hydrogen rich gas still in vapor phase. Adehydrogenation product pipe 42 communicated with the separator 40 givescommunication to the liquid reservoir space. Likewise, a hydrogen pipe44 gives communication to the vapor reservoir space.

The dehydrogenation product pipe 42 is communicated with a flowseparator 46. The flow separator 46 is connected to a gasoline tank 48and a dehydrogenation product tank 50. Receiving a drive signal from theoutside, the flow separator 46 can switch its state between a firststate in which the dehydrogenation product pipe 42 communicates with thedehydrogenation product tank 50 and a second state in which thehydrogenation product pipe 42 communicates with the gasoline tank 48. Inthis system embodiment, it is therefore possible to supply thedehydrogenation product into the gasoline tank 48 by setting the flowseparator 46 to the first state. It is also possible to guide thedehydrogenation product into the dehydrogenation product tank 50 bysetting the flow separator 46 to the second state.

The dehydrogenation product tank 50 includes a liquid level sensor 52and a discharge valve 54. The liquid level sensor 52 provides an outputwhich reflects the amount of the dehydrogenation product collected inthe dehydrogenation product tank 50. The discharge valve 54 is a valvemechanism by which dehydrogenation product pooled in the dehydrogenationproduct tank 50 is discharged to the outside.

The gasoline tank 48 is a tank which should be replenished with normalgasoline which contains organic hydrides such as cyclohexane and Decalinat some 40%. That is, the system of the present embodiment is designedso that the hydrogenated fuel tank 32 is replenished with hydrogenatedfuel and the gasoline tank 48 is filled with normal gasoline.

When the flow separator 46 is in the first state, the dehydrogenationproduct, namely, toluene generated in the separator 40, is supplied intothe gasoline tank. In the gasoline tank 48, a mixed fuel composed of thereplenished normal gasoline and the dehydrogenation product introducedfrom the flow separator 46 is therefore pooled.

In this embodiment, the gasoline tank 48 includes a weight sensor 56 anda level sensor 58. The weight sensor 56 provides an output whichreflects the amount of the mixed fuel pooled in the gasoline tank 50.Meanwhile, the level sensor 58 provides an output which reflects thevolume of the mixed fuel there. The specific gravity of the normalgasoline is different from that of the dehydrogenation product. If bothweight and volume of the mixed fuel pooled there are known, it istherefore possible to calculate the ratio of the normal gasoline contentand the dehydrogenation product content from these values. In the systemof the present embodiment, the ratio of the dehydrogenation productcontent in the mixed fuel pooled in the gasoline tank 48 can be detectedbased on the output of the weight sensor 56 and that of the level sensor58.

A gasoline pipe 60 is communicated with the gasoline tank 48. Thegasoline pipe 60 is provided with a pump 62 halfway in its route andcommunicated with the gasoline injector 20 at its end. During operationof the internal combustion engine, the mixed fuel stored in the gasolinetank 48 is pumped up by the pump 62 at a certain pressure and suppliedto the gasoline injector 20.

The hydrogen pipe 44 is communicated with a hydrogen buffer tank 64. Thehydrogen pipe 44 is provided with a pump 66 and a relief valve 68. Fromthe separator 40, hydrogen rich gas is pumped into the hydrogen buffertank 64 by the pump 66. The relief valve 68 prevents the deliverypressure of the pump 66 from rising excessively. With the pump 66 andthe relief valve 68, hydrogen rich gas can be supplied into the hydrogenbuffer tank 64 without causing the internal pressure to riseexcessively.

The hydrogen buffer tank 64 includes a pressure sensor 70. The pressuresensor 70 provides an output which reflects the internal pressure of thehydrogen buffer tank 64. According to the output of the pressure sensor70, it is possible to estimate the amount of hydrogen rich gas pooled inthe hydrogen buffer tank 64.

A hydrogen supply pipe 72 is communicated with the hydrogen buffer tank64. The hydrogen supply pipe 72 is provided with a regulator 74 halfwayin its route and communicated with the hydrogen injector 18 at its end.In this configuration, hydrogen rich gas is supplied to the hydrogeninjector 18 at a pressure regulated by the regulator 74 as long ashydrogen rich gas is pooled enough in the hydrogen buffer tank 64.

The system in the present embodiment includes an ECU 80. The outputs ofvarious sensors including the above-mentioned O₂ sensor 26, NOx sensor28, liquid level sensor 52, liquid weight sensor 56, liquid level sensor58 and pressure sensor 70 are connected to the ECU 80. In addition, theactuators of the above-mentioned flow separator 46, pumps 36, 62 and 66and injectors 18, 20 and 24, an alarm lamp 82 and others are connectedto the ECU 80. By performing routine processing based on the sensoroutputs, the ECU 80 can appropriately drive these actuators and turn onthe alarm lamp 82 to notify that the amount of the dehydrogenationproduce pooled has exceeded the upper limit if so.

Summary of Operation of First Embodiment

When the internal combustion engine 10 starts, the ECU 80 begins tocalculate the amounts of hydrogen rich gas and gasoline (mixed fuel) tobe supplied to the internal combustion engine 10. These targeted valuesare calculated based on the operating condition according to predefinedrule. During operation of the internal combustion engine 10, thehydrogen injector 18 and the gasoline injector 20 are driven so as torealize these target values. Consequently, the hydrogen rich gas pooledin the hydrogen buffer tank 64 and the mixed fuel pooled in the gasolinetank 48 are appropriately injected into the intake pipe 12 and theintake port, respectively.

If both hydrogen and gasoline are supplied to the internal combustionengine 10 at the same time, it is possible to obtain greatly largerpower than when only hydrogen is used as the fuel. In addition, sincethis greatly raises the upper limit of the air excess ratio at whichstable combustion can be assured as compared with a case in which onlygasoline is used as the fuel, it is possible to remarkably improve thefuel efficiency and emission performance. Thus, the system of thepresent embodiment can realize an internal combustion engine 10 superiorin terms of fuel efficiency, output power performance and emission.

The dehydrogenation reactor 22 in this system embodiment becomes able toseparate the hydrogenated fuel to a hydrogen rich gas anddehydrogenation product when its internal temperature is raised to 300°C. or so. After the internal combustion engine 10 is started, the ECU 80judges whether the dehydrogenation reactor 22 has become ready toperform the separating process based on the temperature of the internalcombustion engine 10. Then, if it is judged that the process can beperformed, the ECU 80 allows the hydrogenated fuel injector 24 to startinjecting an appropriate amount of hydrogenated fuel.

After the hydrogenated fuel begins to be injected, a high temperaturegas of a mixture of a hydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenation product(toluene) begins to flow out from the bottom of the dehydrogenationreactor 22. This high temperature gas is cooled in the separator 40,thereby the dehydrogenated product begins to flow in the dehydrogenationproduct pipe 42 and the hydrogen rich gas begins to flow in the hydrogenpipe 44, respectively.

The hydrogen rich gas in the hydrogen pipe 44 flows into the hydrogenbuffer tank 64 under pressure by the pump 66. Normally, the ECU 80controls the generative amount of hydrogen rich gas, i.e., controls theamount of hydrogenated fuel to be injected from the hydrogenated fuelinjector 24 so that the internal pressure of the hydrogen buffer tank 64is kept within a desired range. The system of the present embodiment cantherefore reliably run the internal combustion engine 10 using thehydrogen rich gas and the mixed fuel, while always keeping anappropriate amount of hydrogen rich gas in the hydrogen buffer tank 64.

Dehydrogenation product, namely, toluene flows in the dehydrogenationproduct pipe 42 and is guided into the gasoline tank 48 or thedehydrogenation product tank 50 depending on the state of the flowseparator 46. Dehydrogenation products such as toluene can not solely beused as fuel for the internal combustion engine 10 since their octanenumbers are excessively high. However, a dehydrogenation product isinevitably generated as a by-product in the system of the presentembodiment since hydrogen is generated by decomposing a hydrogenatedfuel.

One considerable method for treating such a dehydrogenated product issimply collecting the product into a recovery tank, and discharging thedehydrogenated product to the outside from the recovery tank when somevolume is accumulated. In this method, however, it is necessary toeither frequently discharge the dehydrogenated product or use a largerrecovery tank in order to reduce the frequency.

Alternatively, although toluene and other dehydrogenation products cannot solely be used as fuel for the internal combustion engine 10, theymay be mixed into a normal gasoline as octane boosters. That is, sincedehydrogenation products are stable in composition, adding adehydrogenation product to normal gasoline at an appropriate proportioncan boost the octane number without deteriorating the combustibility ofthe gasoline. Consequently, such a mixed fuel can improve the outputpower of the internal combustion engine 10 since the possibility ofknocking is lower than when normal gasoline is solely used.

Further, in the system of the present embodiment, as already described,the ratio of the dehydrogenation product content in the mixed fuelpooled in the gasoline tank 48 can be detected based on the output ofthe weight sensor 56 and that of the liquid level sensor 58. Thus, thesystem of the present embodiment is configured so that thedehydrogenation product is guided into the gasoline tank 48 by settingthe flow separator 46 to the first state until the above mentioned ratioreaches a predetermined upper limit and the dehydrogenation product iscollected into the dehydrogenation product recovery tank 50 by settingthe flow separator to the second state only while the ratio is higherthan the upper limit.

Practical Processing in the Second Embodiment

FIG. 2 is the flowchart of a routine which is executed by the ECU 80 toimplement the above-mentioned functions in this embodiment. In theroutine shown in FIG. 2, firstly, the volume and weight of the mixedfuel in the gasoline tank 48 are obtained based on the outputs of theweight sensor 56 and liquid level sensor 58 (step 100).

Then, based on these obtained results, the ratio of the dehydrogenatedcontent or toluene content in the mixed fuel is calculated (step 102).Then, it is judged whether the calculated ratio is equal to or higherthan a predetermined threshold (step 104). This predetermined thresholdis the upper limit of the toluene content range in which the internalcombustion engine 10 shows good combustion.

If the ratio of the toluene content is judged equal to or larger thanthe predetermined threshold in the above-mentioned step 104, it isconsidered that the mixed fuel may loose its adequateness as fuel if thedehydrogenation product (toluene) is further supplied into the gasolinetank 48. In this case, the flow separator 46 is set to the second stateso as to prevent the dehydrogenation product from flowing into thegasoline tank 48 (step 106).

On the other hand, if the toluene content is judged smaller than thepredetermined threshold in the above-mentioned step 104, it isconsidered that further supply of the dehydrogenation product (toluene)into the gasoline tank 48 is allowed. In this case, the flow separator46 is set to the first state to allow further supply (step 108).

According to the processing mentioned above, the hydrogenated fuel canbe separated into a hydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenation product duringoperation of the internal combustion engine 10 so as to compensate forthe amount of hydrogen rich gas consumed. As well, some of the generateddehydrogenation product can be consumed as part of the mixed fuelwithout deteriorating the adequacy of the mixed fuel as fuel. Therefore,as compared with a system where a normal gasoline is directly injectedfrom the gasoline injector 20, the system of the present embodiment canimprove the output power performance of the internal combustion engine10 and, further, lighten the system maintenance/management burden byreducing the frequency of discharging the dehydrogenation product.

In addition, as described above, if the amount of the dehydrogenationproduct collected in the dehydrogenation product tank 50 exceeds theupper storage limit, this system embodiment can turn on the alarm lamp82 to urge the system user to discharge the dehydrogenation product.According to the system of the present embodiment, it is thereforepossible to realize an easy-to-use dual-fueled internal combustionengine 10.

Note that although it is assumed in the aforementioned first embodimentthat the fuel used as the hydrogenated fuel contains 100% of an organichydride, the present invention is not limited to this. Although thehigher the ratio of the organic hydride content in the hydrogenatedfuel, the more preferable for generating hydrogen efficiently, the ratiois not necessarily limited to 100%. The ratio of the organic hydridecontent inof the hydrogenated fuel is only required to be higher thanthat of normal gasoline.

Also note that although it is assumed in the aforementioned firstembodiment that the hydrogen rich gas generated by decomposing thehydrogenated fuel is consumed by the internal combustion engine 10 asfuel, the hydrogen gas may also be consumed for other purposes. Namely,the hydrogen rich gas generated together with the dehydrogenationproduct may also be added to the exhaust gas of the internal combustionengine 10 in order to improve the emission. Further, the gas may beconsumed by not only the internal combustion engine 10 but also otherdifferent devices (auxiliary hydrogen engine, fuel cell system and thelike).

In addition, although it is assumed in the aforementioned firstembodiment that the dehydrogenation product is mixed with normalgasoline in the gasoline tank 48, the mixing place is not limited to thegasoline tank 48. That is, the dehydrogenation product may be mixed withthe normal gasoline in some place of the gasoline supply pipe before thegasoline injector 20.

Further, although it is assumed in the aforementioned first embodimentthat if the amount of the dehydrogenation produce pooled reaches theupper limit, the alarm lamp 82 is used to notify of it, the alarmingmeans is not limited to a lamp. For example, alarming may also be doneusing an alarm buzzer, voice guidance or the like.

It should be noted that the dehydrogenation reactor 22 and the separator40 in the aforementioned first embodiment correspond to “fuel separatingunit” in the first aspect of the present invention. Likewise, theinternal combustion engine 10 corresponds to “hydrogen rich gasconsuming mechanism” and the gasoline supply pipe 60, the pump 62 andthe gasoline injector 20 correspond to “fuel supplying unit”. Inaddition, “dehydrogenation product mixing unit” in the first aspect ofthe present invention is implemented by the ECU 80 which sets the flowseparator 46 to the first state by executing step 108 as aforementioned.

Also it should be noted that in the aforementioned first embodiment, theflow separator 46 corresponds to “dehydrogenation product guidingmechanism” in the second aspect of the present invention. In addition,“mixed ratio detecting unit” in the second aspect of the presentinvention is implemented by the ECU 80 which executes steps 100 and 102as aforementioned. Likewise, “dehydrogenation product stopping unit” inthe second aspect of the present invention is implemented by the ECU 80which sets the flow separator 46 to the second state by executing step108 as aforementioned.

Also it should be noted that in the aforementioned first embodiment,“flow separator control means” in the third aspect of the presentinvention is implemented by the ECU 80 which sets the flow separator 46to the second state by executing step 106 as mentioned above. Likewise,“alarming unit” in the third aspect of the present invention isimplemented by the ECU 80 which turns on the alarm lamp 82 if the amountof the dehydrogenation product pooled in the dehydrogenation producttank 50 reaches the maximum allowable amount.

1. An internal combustion engine system with a capability to generatehydrogen, comprising: a hydrogenated fuel tank which is replenished withan organic hydride-contained hydrogenated fuel; a gasoline tank which isreplenished with a normal gasoline; fuel separating means for separatingthe hydrogenated fuel into a hydrogen rich gas and a dehydrogenationproduct; hydrogen rich gas consuming means for consuming the hydrogenrich gas; dehydrogenation product mixing means for mixing thedehydrogenation product with the normal gasoline; and fuel supplyingmeans by which a mixed fuel composed of the normal gasoline and thedehydrogenation product is supplied to an internal combustion engine. 2.The internal combustion engine system according to claim 1, wherein thedehydrogenation product mixing means includes: dehydrogenation productguiding means for guiding the dehydrogenation product into the gasolinetank; mixed ratio detecting means for detecting the mixed ratio of thedehydrogenation product in the gasoline tank; and dehydrogenationproduct stopping means for prohibiting the dehydrogenation product fromflowing into the gasoline tank if the mixed ratio exceeds the maximumallowable mixed ratio.
 3. The internal combustion engine systemaccording to claim 2, wherein: a dehydrogenation product tank to poolthe dehydrogenation product is provided; the dehydrogenation productguiding means includes a flow separator capable of implementing a firststate in which the dehydrogenation product is guided into the gasolinetank and a second state in which the dehydrogenation product is guidedinto the dehydrogenation product tank; the dehydrogenation productstopping means includes flow separator control means which sets the flowseparator to the second state if the mixed ratio exceeds the maximumallowable mixed ratio; and there is provided alarming means which if theamount of the dehydrogenation product pooled in the dehydrogenationproduct tank reaches the maximum allowable amount, issues an alarm aboutthe condition.